The University of North Carolina Center for Education and Research in Therapeutics (UNC CERT) brings together a diverse clinical, research, and education community around the needs of children in achieving optimum outcomes of drug and device therapy. Four teams (Administrative Core, Innovation Core, Best Practices Core, Monitoring and Surveillance Core) will pursue a coordinated education and research agenda focusing on Rational Therapeutics for the Pediatric Population. The Innovation Core addresses new drugs and devices for children, the Best Practices Core addresses strategies for delivering proven therapies, and the Monitoring and Surveillance Core addresses the need for information on adverse events of using drugs and devices in the pediatric age range. The core teams have carefully selected and sequenced 16 projects to take advantage of UNC CERT's unique partnerships. In addition to an academic medical center environment with schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health, the UNC CERT builds upon strategic alliances with research-based pharmaceutical firms, contract research organizations, integrated health care delivery systems, non-profit care organizations, and other academic medical centers. A strong emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary effort, synergy between projects and cores, and regional/national dissemination activities. The UNC CERT offers a unique infrastructure and capacity for the Agency for Health Care Policy Research (AHCPR) to direct future education and research activities in therapeutics through a cooperative agreement.